Today is the tenth of September, five more days until Gogiiya. The sun is rising from the east and it looks like another beautiful day in the Dulce Valley. It should be another warm with afternoon showers. The picture below is from the 1960s era and we're camped out at Gogiiya. The vehicle shown is an old International pickup my parents had way back when. We used to camp on the south side of the Gogiiya grounds by my cousins. We moved from there after my dad passed away in 1972 and have been at our present location since the 1970's. My mom had laundry strung out the sides of the tent. You can see her on the side of the tent doing something or the other. Our family has always had a camp out at Gogiiya and this year is no different, it's a time to visit with friends and eat lots of great food and celebrate another great year here on the beautiful Jicarilla Apache reservation.

It's the ninth of September, six days until our harvest festival titled Gogiiya, gogiiya means knife edge and refers to when our festival was near Abiquii, in the 1800's when the Jicarilla Apache Nation was in transition with the US Government. We were alternately fighting with them and being at peace with them. The Olleros were led by my Great Grandfather Huerito Mundo and their range was primarily in central Colorado around the town of Center, Colorado and westward. At one time the Jicarillas received rations from the government at Abiquii and they carried on their ceremonies. If you drive by Abiquii you will notice a rock that resembles a knife edge, this is probably where the footraces were held.

Since the northern half of our reservation was established in 1886, the races have been held at Stone Lake and will continue to do so as long the Jicarilla Apache Nation exists as an entity. So building campsites and removing dry branches are the main concerns as we head toward the fifteenth. Most older Jicarillas try to make the ceremony and especially my cousins, Veronica Tiller, Roberta and Everett Serafin, Mary Velarde, Alberta Velarde, and Bob Crosby Velarde who rarely miss a Gogiiya ceremony. So come out and enjoy our harvest festival with us.

September 8th, 2013

The Sunday before Gogiiya, most of my friends are in church. Next Sunday we celebrate our harvest festival out at Stone Lake. The ceremony is held every year on the fifteenth of September. The ceremony is marked by a footrace between the clans, Red and White, the white clan is the Olleros and represented by the sun and the red clan is called the Llaneros and is represented by the moon. The Jicarillas believe that which ever side wins determines the weather for that year. The Red side has been winning so we should have had more harsher winters and a lot of animals for food, there have been quite a few deer and elk out in the countryside. so we will see what this ceremony brings. The ceremony is held at the Gogiiya grounds out at Stone Lake, approximately seventeen miles south of the town of Dulce, New Mexico due south. After the race both side throw fruit and vegetables in the air celebrating our good fortune.

The picture shows the white clan runners walking down the track before the race. They walk to the end of the track and back and then two older (Haskiin) runners run the length of the track and when they finish the race begins. The race usually last about thirty minutes but last year it almost lasted an hour due to one side not lapping the other side.

This is a photo of my Uncle Jackson Velarde, right, and from left to right: Leona Garambullo and Rogene Garambullo (Deceased). The camp is located next to Stone Lake. We set up Grandpa's camp yesterday so it is already to go. We need to take out there the red table in the picture. So get ready it will be next Sunday, this years activities will feature a Pony Express race of thirty minutes in and around the Gogiiya grounds.